Becky Hargrove, PR and Media Executive at the Northern Territory Convention Bureau, is the recipient of the 2014/15 AACB Staff Scholarship.

The award, co-sponsored by Business Events Australia and Qantas Airlines, was announced at the 25th AACB Staff Conference.

“We are committed to the recognition and encouragement of excellence”, said Andrew Hiebl, Executive Director of AACB. “This scholarship is designed to offer middle to senior level bureau staff an opportunity to demonstrate their professional commitment to the business events industry and deliver a project highlighting innovation and excellence in the sector.”

In March, Becky will travel, with Qantas Airways, to Liverpool, one of the leading destinations for conferences and events in the United Kingdom, to spend time studying the work done by the destination to attract conferences and events. In addition to spending time with the LCB and learning about the proactive sales and marketing initiatives the city uses, Becky will spend time meeting with private sector partners from across the destination.

“The AACB scholarship is a fantastic initiative and after being runner up for the last two years, it is wonderful to have been successful in the 2014/15 award,” said Becky. “This scholarship will afford me the opportunity to further my skill set, spend time with an award winning convention bureau developing innovative and continually evolving delegate programs and then use these experiences to help NT Convention Bureau and the wider business events industry to enhance and elevate the delegate experience in Australia.”

Becky’s trip will coincide with a large conference, where she will be immersed in the experience from behind the scenes as well as attending a Digital Marketing conference as a delegate.

“Tourism Australia is delighted to sponsor the AACB Staff Scholarship,” said Penny Lion, General Manager of Business Events Australia. “It’s a terrific opportunity to provide a unique experience outside of the current work environment. We warmly congratulate Becky Hargrove on winning the 2014/15 scholarship and look forward to reviewing the insights gleaned from her chosen project.”

As part of the scholarship requirements, Becky will share her observations and lessons learned during the 26th AACB Staff Conference in 2015.

The scholarship award runners up were: Lisa Budd, Events Executive of Townsville Convention Bureau, and Tim Boundy, Business Development Manager of Adelaide Convention Bureau. Lisa’s project submission was “Leveraging Sister City Relationships for Acquisition of Business Events” and Tim’s proposal was “How to Reposition a Business Events Destination” through social media.